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| Date: From: Subject: | 11/24/2010 9:16:34 AM Home School Legal Defense Association Michigan--State Board of Education Threatens Homeschool Freedom |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Michigan--State Board of Education Threatens Homeschool Freedom Dear Michigan Members and Friends: There is a rather alarming development concerning your continued freedom as a homeschooler in Michigan. At its regular meeting on November 9, 2010, the Michigan State Board of Education discussed the possibility of increasing state regulation of home education programs in Michigan. Most, if not all, of the members of the board expressed their desire to make homeschooling parents more accountable to the state. Specifically, the consensus of the board was that all homeschool students should be "registered" with the state to determine their number and whereabouts. Individual members of the board also commented on the need to ensure that parents were qualified to teach their children, that students were administered state tests to determine their academic achievement, that the time of instruction was the same as that required of public school students, and that curriculum information was reported to the local school district. Fortunately, the state board does not have the legal authority on its own to take any of this action against homeschooling families. However, it can make a recommendation to members of the Michigan Legislature, asking them to introduce and pass a bill that would accomplish the wishes of the state board. In fact, that procedure was part of the discussion conducted by the board during its most recent meeting. But it is highly unlikely that any such effort will be made during the remainder of this calendar year. From the comments made by the board members during their discussion, it appears that their opinions regarding the need for increased state oversight was based largely on inaccurate information about the homeschool law in other states. Accordingly, HSLDA will provide the state board with accurate information in this regard, as well as the results of recent studies showing the performance of homeschool students across the nation. Hopefully this will influence the board members to abandon any effort to pursue more regulation of home instruction. We will keep you posted on further developments, especially if a bill is introduced in the legislature to implement any of these threats to your homeschooling freedom. In the meantime, we would ask you to pray that God would continue to grant the home educators of Michigan the freedom that all of you have enjoyed since the current law was enacted over 14 years ago. Very truly yours, Dewitt T. Black, III Senior Counsel HSLDA ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Will your friends stand by you in trouble? They will if you're an HSLDA member and your homeschool is threatened. HSLDA is ready to stand by your side along with 80,000 other homeschool families. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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